Does spatial sorting explain leading edge personality types in a spider’s non‐native range?

Expanding populations are often characterized by phenotypic shifts across the range. Processes like spatial sorting predict that phenotypes may be distributed along a range based on dispersal ability, where most dispersive individuals found at leading edges and least remain population core. Thus, traits correlated to also become spatially in same pattern. Cyrtophora citricola is an orb-web spider with two expanding originating from core its non-native Florida Since spiders were previously differ various personality those core, we measured latency likelihood laboratory-raised spiderlings determine whether can account for these patterns. Only one of showed evidence sorting, suggesting this phenomenon likely context dependent not always generalizable populations. Spiders edge eastern more than although western three Dispersal was activity exploratory tendencies individuals. Population-level differences had observed foraging aggression captive-raised spiders, they represent plastic responses environmental conditions instead being result dispersal-correlated trait evolution. However, mean population-level exploration boldness maintained captivity, behaviors have heritable component. Overall, as bolder, whereas bold exploratory. While study provides dispersive, exploratory, active population, divergence risk-taking between highlights potential dependency importance understanding interactions natural selection.